After 'The Force Awakens': 10 burning questions about the movie

WARNING: As if it wasn't obvious from the headline, this post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Please only read this after you've seen the movie and please don't spoil it for others.

The Force has awoken — and it left plenty of mysteries in its wake. Indeed, anyone who saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens on its opening night Thursday probably has more questions on their lips when leaving the theater than when they went in.

That's as it should be — this is, after all, a franchise that has long thrived on mystery. But it also means we have a lot to talk about before Episode VIII hits theaters in May 2017.

Let's dive in to the main questions, and speculate about some of the answers.

1. What's up with Luke?

This is the biggest of big burning questions from the final scene of the film, in which Rey finds Luke randomly standing all alone on a rocky green island (actually in Ireland). Why did Luke take off?

Sure, he started a Jedi academy, then Kylo Ren turned against him and slaughtered his students. But that doesn't necessitate splitting town and covering your tracks so definitively that your family has to track down pieces of a galactic map to find you.

We suspect the answer has something to do with Luke himself, and perhaps with the old prophecy about bringing balance to the Force. Maybe that balance, between Jedi and Sith, is now at war within Luke himself.

2. What is the connection between Rey and Luke Skywalker?

Image: Lucasfilm

Given Rey's clear Force ability, and the flashback she saw when she touched Luke's lightsaber on Takodana, it seems very likely that Rey and Luke are blood relations. That would also tie in with his "the Force is strong in my family" monologue from Return of the Jedi, which was re-written ("you have that power, too") and featured in the second trailer, but not in the movie.

It's entirely possible, then, that Luke's first words to Rey may be a repetition of the most famous line from Empire Strikes Back: "I am your father." If so, she would be quite justified in shooting back: "that's not true. That's impossible!"

But if it is true — and we may be looking at a red herring here — who is Rey's mother? If you want to see a hardcore Star Wars fan's head explode, just whisper the following name in response to that question: "Mara Jade."

3. Why exactly was Rey left on Jakku?

Image: Lucasfilm

Again, you can pretty much piece together a story from the lightsaber flashback: Rey was taken from Luke's Jedi training course at a young age and hidden somewhere safe from Kylo Ren's revenge. But why dump her on a random desert planet? Was it just because Luke himself was dumped on his dad's desert planet, and he thought it might be character-building for her?

What exactly was the plan here, and was someone ever going to retrieve her? Luke, you got a lotta 'splaining to do.

4. Who was Max Von Sydow's character, and why did he have the map?

Max Von Sydow's character is called Lor San Tekka, and he gets to speak the very first line of the new Star Wars trilogy: "This will begin to make things right." He is then killed in the First Order's assault on his Jakku outpost, right after handing over a piece of the Luke map to Poe Dameron. But why did he have that map piece in the first place?

This isn't the largest question Lucasfilm has to answer in the next installment, but it would be nice to know the company is paying attention to small loose threads like this (and not just leaving them to be tied up in other media, in the same way you'll only find out why Threepio got his red arm by reading the Marvel comic books.)

5. Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?

The 25-foot tall figure, voice and motion-captured by Andy Serkis and seen only in hologram form, was by far the most mysterious character introduced in the new movie.

We know he leads the First Order, ruling by fear much as the Emperor did; we know he's Force-sensitive and was able to sense an "awakening." (And while we're about it, what exactly was that awakening, anyway? Rey's newfound awareness of her Force abilities, or something more?)

But where did Snoke come from? What manner of creature is he? Has he battled Luke previously, hence the scars and his Skywalker obsession?

6. How powerful is the First Order?

The First Order assembles.

Image: Lucasfilm

This question may be connected to the previous one; we don't know exactly how much Snoke's Force ability is powering or controlling his Stormtrooper army. We know the First Order is powerful enough to construct a superweapon that is an order of magnitude greater than the Death Star. Does that mean its boundaries stretch farther than the Empire's once did? Or is it just a small but immensely powerful entity that roams the cosmos, annihilating planets at will?

7. What is the connection between the Republic and the Resistance?

We have a similar question about the other side. There seems to be a difference between the restored Republic, represented by the Senate, and the Resistance, led by General Organa, Admiral Ackbar and the gang. How are they connected? Is the Resistance a kind of Special Forces operation that only exists in First Order-controlled territory? Or is there more of a rift between the galactic government and its military arm?

8. Will we see Kylo Ren, General Hux and Captain Phasma again?

Image: Lucasfilm

This one seems like a no-brainer — all three bad guys appeared to survive the Resistance assault on Starkiller base. But their competition for screen time made The Force Awakens weaker than it could have been. How will Episode VIII avoid the same problem?

9. Will Leia pursue 'Ben' for killing his father?

Image: Lucasfilm

Leia's reaction to Han's death at the hands of their son in The Force Awakens was poignant, but toothless. Where's the anger, General Organa? And what's next? Will she try to bring her son, whose real name is apparently Ben, to justice, or to turn him back to the light side of the Force?

If so, maybe don't stand so close to his lightsaber.

10. Will we see Han again in any way, shape or form?

Image: Lucasfilm

So far, no major character on the side of good has truly died in a Star Wars movie; not without returning in some way, at least. Obi-Wan came back a Force ghost; Yoda came back as a Force ghost. Even Qui-Gon Jinn from the prequels returned as a Force ghost in the Clone Wars cartoons (he was originally supposed to do so in Revenge of the Sith, but for Liam Neeson's scheduling conflicts; in the movie, Yoda at least confirmed that he had made contact with Qui-Gon).

So is there any way we'll see Han again? I know, the Force was not particularly strong with him. But he married into a Jedi family; perhaps some of that rubbed off. Perhaps Luke is powerful enough to make contact with his spirit, or perhaps Leia can get a final goodbye out of him.

It may be a cheesy move that downplays Han's sacrifice, but we wouldn't say no to seeing him one last time. You just can't keep a good scoundrel down.

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